The roots of Goddess Garden go far beyond our facilities here in Boulder County, Colorado. They lie in the Pacific Northwest where our founders Nova Covington and Paul Halter spent their childhood. Nova grew up in Oregon and the deep woods of British Columbia, and Paul in rural Oregon. During their childhood, they both became “early environmentalists” and developed an understanding of the power of nature and a love and appreciation for the great outdoors.
Years later, after careers in corporate America, Nova and Paul became more keenly aware of the need for change in the skincare industry when their first daughter, Paige, was allergic to the chemicals in traditional bath and cosmetic products. Nova, with an herbalist background, and Paul, with a nutrition science degree, were inspired to develop safe skincare solutions, using the pure minerals zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as the active agents for sun protection. From there, Goddess Garden began to grow.
In 2005, Goddess Garden had its first big kick off at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, where the true course of the product line was about to reveal itself. Back then, Goddess Garden was mainly a spa product line, with mineral sunscreen as one of 30 other products. But while other products gained some interest, the sunscreen was completely sold out by the second day of the festival. People found themselves at their booth by following the inviting scent of the essential oils in the mineral sunscreen.
When it comes to balancing work and personal life, especially as a mother of two young daughters, it has been a constant challenge for Nova to balance multiple high priorities at once.
She has learned how to integrate her two lives, and tries to be an example for her daughters for what it means to be a powerful female leader who can do it all. It’s all about keeping calm, enjoying the outdoors with the kids, practicing yoga, and living as stress-free as possible.
Support from her husband, Paul, has been a big reason for the success of Goddess Garden. Paul works as CFO, is key in product creation with Nova, and is a huge part of creating the harmony between work and family.
We want people to enjoy the sun, not avoid it. Nova has been told by numerous people that they are allergic to sunscreen, so they must choose to either get burned or not go in the sun at all. Goddess Garden mineral sunscreen protects and nourishes even the most sensitive skin without harsh sunscreen chemicals.
In keeping with the care-for-the-people principle, Goddess Garden is committed to customer satisfaction and is always available to listen to customers about their experience with the product. Goddess Garden was founded on two important principles: helping the planet and helping people safely enjoy the sun. Nova and Paul grew up watching old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest being clear cut and were always saddened by the amount of trash that washed up on even the most remote beaches. This helped inspire them both to do something that would make a difference for the planet.
Even before starting Goddess Garden, Nova spent time every day to help the earth, and it has always been a guiding passion for her in life. She believes that there needs to be a perspective shift for consumers regarding the usage of chemicals in everyday products. Nova believes that chemicals don’t only affect us, they affect our ecosystem as a whole, which is why all Goddess Garden products are reef safe and cruelty free.
Going Green Starts by Thinking Blue
Protect Our Mother is an ocean preservation foundation and a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Protect Our Mother (POM) is focused on preserving our oceans and restoring habitat, like coral reefs and kelp forests, where whales, dolphins and other marine animals live.
Together, we are cooler.
The ocean is big and so are our goals—we can do this together.
Every positive difference starts with first steps.
Protect our Mother will be aimed at protection, legislation and climate balance.
